Accommodating the physiological necessity to urinate on the part of incapacitated or infirm patients is problematical. Proposed solutions to this need have demonstrated that it is an illusive problem.
The ubiquitous bedpan generally has been employed for this procedure. However, where the patient is severely incapacitated, for example, in recovery from stroke and the like, the procedure is highly physically taxing both on the part of the patient and the medical attendant.
Vacuum assisted devices have been proposed for the collection of urine. These devices generally are described as being positioned about the urethra. While such systems promise a desirable convenience, their designs therefore have exhibited technical difficulties. For example, in one approach, the vacuum is utilized to create a urine air entrainment which then is delivered by suitable conduits to a collection facility such as a tank. Aeration procedures, however, lead to difficulties in the collection by evoking frothing and contamination of the vacuum source due to the entrained nature of the urine. The vacuum assisted devices also have proven difficult to position because of the vacuum induced attachment of the entryway of the collecting device with the skin of the patient. While some vacuum may be desirable for this positioning procedure, the vacuum requisite to urine removal is one posing a considerable hindrance to proper placement. In general, following placement of the collection vessel, the vacuum should fully support the collector throughout the urination procedure.